Amalgam Consulting

​My job is simple: take the guesswork out of putting together a plan for your small business. I specialize in editing/publishing and creating social media and marketing platforms for authors, artists, musicians, and consultants who are new to the business field.

What can Amalgam do for you?
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“Storytelling is life-telling”

The short answer to the question is: Whatever you need to make your dream a reality. The purpose behind starting a consultation business was to help others overcome the pitfalls of attempting to stake a claim. Each business has unique challenges and obstacles. The longer answer is best represented in a list:

"I recently used Dan’s editing services for a book I am in the process of publishing. I have used editors before and expected the same treatment of my work as they gave me. I would have to go over it again making additional changes to make sure the writing was what I wanted, and not changed to what the editor wanted. I was pleasantly surprised with Dan’s work because he managed to pick up on my style and strengthen it. So as I re-read my work, I kept saying to myself: “Yessss! It is my work.” In fact, though I know he made a lot of changes, try as I could, I could not tell where they were without going back to the original transcript. I intend to use him for all of my future writings."
-Mary Ellen Dias, Dr. Wagner and Me
"Thank you Dan for being so helpful, prompt, knowledgeable, and instrumental in getting my book published on time. You were a pleasure to work with."
-M.K, Los Angeles, 2013
﻿"I had always dreamed of writing a book but never knew where to start. When I was done with the first book, the next step was publishing. That’s when I met Dan O’Brien. Not only did he publish the book for me and added it to Amazon and Kindle, he also edited the book. For anyone with dreams of publishing their first book, Dan is definitely the way to go."
﻿-J. Everett Bettis, author of Children of the Skies
"I was referred by mere luck to Dan O’Brien and Amalgam Publishing by my best friend—a professor of sociology in the University of California system, who only knew about Dan’s brilliance as a university teaching assistant in his department. As a first-time writer, I was lost in the publishing world without a sense of “what to do next.” This is not a familiar state for me: I was educated and top of my class at the Phillips Exeter Academy and then Harvard College, and I graduated from Harvard Medical School. Now, with twenty-nine years of experience in highly challenging situations involving internal medicine and psychiatry, I’m used to feeling “on course” and reasonably confident.
I’ve also become an excellent diagnostician and judge of both intelligence and character, or IQ and EI.
My first book, which had received rave reviews by innumerable readers and academicians, had been suspended in limbo for two years. During that time, I discovered how terribly neurotic, self-centered, and unreliable most people in the publishing field tend to be. Scores of agents, editors, and publishers had simply failed to grasp the literary merit of the book, as well as the big picture of the vast social agenda behind it.
Dan O’Brien is both brilliant and emotionally mature.
My last editor only offered to help me get excerpts published in magazines and journals, as a form of “pre-publication publicity.” She charged $175 per hour, which included any phone or email time. After $1,200 and six weeks, she had barely read one-tenth of the book and none of the accompanying materials describing the social agenda behind the work. She gave misguided advice with a belligerent arrogance that diminished the quality of my writing.
The result? Not a single excerpt was ever submitted to the media! Zilch gained, and my self-confidence at zeal zero.
Dan saved the entire project and assiduously took charge of every imaginable aspect of the whole publishing process. His range of skills is incredible! I could not have published my first book of this series without his devoted guidance, clever coaching, technological wizardry, editorial savvy, marketing and promotional prowess, and steady encouragement!
Dan did a perfect last editing of the manuscript, changed the written format to a masterpiece of art, uploaded the book with ISBN registration into Amazon for hard copies and Kindle for digital ones, set up a dedicated book website, prepared fifty excerpts for publication in high-profile magazines, and orquestrated manifold details of the book’s promotion—from the press release, to “launch parties,” to contacting VIP’s in the media for radio, TV, and public speaking forums.
With total faith in the paradigm-shifting and progressive social project that is the true purpose of the books, Dan worked indefatigably, almost non-stop, to cover every base and guarantee a positive outcome. He literally took the entire burden of the publishing process off my hands, with a light-hearted and supportive interpersonal style that makes every interaction with him delightful.
Dan O’Brien gets an A+++ for both IQ and EI, for diversity of skills and reliability, for coaching and communication, and even for affordability! Unlike almost everybody else in the publishing field, Dan has such a strong commitment to social altruism and literary excellence that money doesn’t really matter. He’s let me take my time to gather the money to pay him for truly top-notch and under-priced service.
The result? In less than six weeks, my first book will be released—immaculately edited and beautifully formatted.
And Dan doesn’t stop there: I’ll have on-going coaching, along with a timeline for all the next steps and action items that will be needed to maximize exposure, sales and the creation of a fanbase to raise money for a national lecture series and book tour!
In my opinion, Dan O’Brien is absolutely the best person imaginable to take on the entire publishing process and beyond, until success is assured."
-Michael Holloway King, MD, author of Hide and Play Dead
"Dan O'Brien is a fabulous website developer, editor, promoter, and all-around go-to guy for anything digital or editorial for books, websites, and media promotion. He does it all, quickly and with a smile. If you want something changed, he'll change it. His suggestions are good. I love the way he edited my book, designed the cover, and uploaded the whole shebang to CreateSpace. I also love my webpage. I highly recommend him for anything book, media, or website related. You won't be disappointed."
-Glynda-Lee Hoffman, author of The Genesis Code
"I've been working with Dan at Amalgam Consulting over the past several months and am completely satisfied with the knowledge Dan shares, and his professionalism. It has been such a benefit to me personally as a writer, because Dan's strong work ethic keeps me on track with my projects. The guidance I receive is allowing me to move forward in a timely manner, which helps keep my writing projects on schedule. I'm thankful there is an affordable service available like Amalgam Consulting!"
-Georgia Alvarez, author of Stickers